The Beaches of Holland

September 19, 2014

For a country as small as The Netherlands there is a great variety of beaches to explore. The beaches can be divided into the following areas: The Dutch Wadden Islands, the coast of the North and South Holland provinces and Zeeland.

The Dutch Wadden Islands are a series of islands located in the North of The Netherlands. A funny thing to note is that the Dutch remember the order of these islands by the following word: TV-TAS (TV-Bag): Texel, Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog. Each of these islands are very easy to access by boat and each have their own specialities.

Firstly, Texel is the biggest island with about 18.6 miles of beach and is known for its nature scenes, nightlife and the many sports and activity opportunities that you will find here: from cycling to parachute jumping, surfing to mud walking and many more. Secondly, if you are looking for quietness Vlieland is the place to be. This island mainly consists of forests but you will also find the Vuurboetsduin which is a 40 meter high dune. Look out for the red lighthouse here when you are exploring!

Thirdly, Terschelling is the second biggest island and you can find the oldest lighthouse in the country here. If you are interested in unique plant species, butterflies and bird colonies you will definitely enjoy a visit to Terschelling. Also here you can experience the mud walking. Fourthly, Ameland is also known for its flora and fauna and even won an award in 2009 (Quality Coast Award) but also has a history of merchant shipping. Finally, Schiermonnikoog is the smallest island but is regarded as a National Park and here you’ll find dunes, woods, polders, flora and fauna and much more here. And it has the widest beach in Europe.

Holland’s Coast is great for walking and cycling & you’ll find many foot and cycling paths. When you would like to spend a day at the beach there is a list of places you can go to such as Katwijk, Zandvoort, Callantsoog and many more. The most popular is Scheveningen as it also offers many pavilions and entertainment as well. Moreover, it is perfect to combine with some sightseeing in The Hague. If you are interested in racing Zandvoort (very close to Haarlem) is the place to be as it is known for its racetrack in the dunes. Moreover, you can easily combine your beach day with a lovely day in Haarlem. If you are looking for a nice white beach you should be heading to Callantsoog which you can find north from IJmuiden.

Zeeland is the province at the very south of the coastline of The Netherlands. Zeeland is particularly known for its Delta Works and the constant fight against water. But you will find some amazing beaches here, as well and having the most sunlight per day in The Netherlands – this is the place to be for sun bathing! Some of the beach resorts are Renesse, Vlissingen, and Zierikzee, but there are many more to choose from. Renesse is known for its swimming water quality and has won several international awards for just that! Also you can enjoy lots of water sports such as surfing and water skiing. If you enjoy pavilions and nightlife Vlissingen is where you should be heading. If you are more interested in history and culture you will definitely enjoy Zierikzee as it has over 500 historical monuments to explore.

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